Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 57

tsaymm fltvwstar-telegramcom Thursday December 9 2004 1 7D COLLEGES I MOTORSPORTS COLLEGE notes Louisville Memphis players share C-USA honor Kyle Whittingham was hired as the football coach to replace Urban Meyer Whittingham rejected an offer from rival BYU to take the job Whittingham will replace Meyer as coach after the Fiesta Bowl on Jan 1 Meyer was introduced Tuesday as the new coach at Florida Recruiting news Richardson Berkner defensive lineman Trey Bryant a member of the State Top 100 recruits has committed to Baylor Marcus wide receiver Travis Watson a member of the Area Top 75 recruits has committed to Con tackles for loss for No 8 Georgia Bennett gets extension SMU football coach Phil Bennett received a two-year contract extension that will keep him at the university through the 2008 season despite a 6-29 record that includes going winless in 2003 SMU had a 15-game losing streak the second longest before a win over San Jose State in the conference opener The Mustangs finished the season by winning two of their last three games Utah hires coach Utah defensive coordinator attorney said Parker was suspended indefinitely Notre outgoing president criticized the decision to fire Tyrone Willingham after three seasons saying he was surprised the coach was not given more time The Sports Business Daily and ESPNcom quoted Rev Edward Malloy as saying he was embarrassed by the football firing David Cutcliffe Frank Solich and John Cooper have expressed interest in vacant football coaching job Each told The Associated Press that they missed the profession and would consider returning to the sidelines FROM STAFF AND WIRE RPTORTS Louisville quarterback Stefan LeFors and Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams were selected co-Conference USA Offensive Players of the Year LJeFors leads the nation in passing efficiency and has thrown 18 touchdowns and two interceptions Williams set Memphis rushing records with 1828 yards and 21 touchdowns this season Southern Miss linebacker Michael Boley was selected the Defensive Player of the Year and his teammate kick returner John Eubanks was voted the Special Teams Player of the Year The league also necticut Keller offensive lineman Colby Meek (6-foot-4 280 pounds) has committed to UT-E1 Paso Tomball lineman Chris Ptaszek (6-foot-4 285 pounds) has committed to Rice Van Vleck tight end Chris Hudgins (6-foot-4 255 pounds) has committed to Missouri He also considered Arkansas and TCU John Miller Briefly Florida basketball administrative assistant Major Parker was arrested on charges of selling half a kilogram of cocaine to an undercover officer a US named Louisville freshman quarterback Brian Brohm as the Freshman of the Year and picked Louisville coach Bobby Petrino as Coach of the Year Damien Pierce Pollack wins Lombardi Georgia defensive end David Pollack won the Lombardi Award as the top college lineman one year after finishing second for the honor Pollack won over Shaun Cody of Southern California Erasmus James of Wisconsin and Derrick Johnson of Texas for the 40-pound granite trophy Pollack had 48 tackles including 9 A sacks and 14 V2 i i i UTA INSIDER UTA women accept their platoon system ii -X 'i -v 11 1 i IN THE KNOW Calendar SATURDAY Women's basketball: at SMU Dallas 7 pm WEDNESDAY Men's basketball: at Texas Austin 7 pm fit a jf vt 1 yf'- i i 5 ij -owi I THE ASSOCIATED PRESSDAVID GRAHAM The Pontiac Doran of Fort Worth's Forest Barber will have Indy-car veteran Paul Tracy as one of the drivers In the 24 Hours at Daytona title defense a 24 HOURS AT DAYTONA Tracy joins Fort Worth team To try to create depth for her basketball team Lady Mavs coach Donna Capps is using a lot of players before Southland Conference play begins By CHARLES POLANSKY STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER ARLINGTON Relax method to Donna platoon madness The UT-Arlington basketball coach lost her mind a perfectly sane reason Capps started senior Rola Ogunoye leading scorer in every game a reason point guard Krystal Buchanan another senior and Ogunoye a preseason candidate for Southland Conference Player of the Year have yet to be in the same starting lineup this season have a lot of new faces on the team and not going to get an at-large NCAA Tournament bid face Capps said got to put all our eggs in the basket of winning the Southland To win the conference title Capps believes she needs to figure out which young players can help the team and in what situations they fit best going to take everyone on this team to win the conference and they players know Capps said Thus far the platoon system burned the Lady Mavs (4-2) Capps realizes the system could contribute to a loss somewhere And OK If it helps the Lady Mavs win SLC games then it has done what it was supposed to do takes awhile to make that step from high school to Division Capps said feel like we have to give young players actual game experience early I think the easiest way to do it is to be surrounded by players who know going on so we try to balance our groups between veteran players and TRACY BARBER And not like five best players on the court in crunch time If the game is on the line Ogunoye and Buchanan are among those on the court A platoon system though works only if a team has selfless seniors willing to swallow a little pride by not starting every game Capps tried platooning last season but quickly abandoned the plan because she think the seniors were on board with the philosophy After a few inevitable thoughts of no here we go this senior group has embraced it Ogunoye leads one platoon and Buchanan leads another Buchanan said a handful of fans have asked her why not in the starting lineup every game leading the young Buchanan explains a team and trying to come Ogunoye second on the Lady Mavs in minutes played said once she realized that starting or coming off the bench was largely immaterial she became a better teammate putting the team Ogunoye said think about that I think that united me with the team Once conference play begins Capps said the platooning will be a thing of the past whole philosophy behind this is to have everybody ready to contribute come conference Capps said know going to take some lumps early doing ONLINE: wwwutamavscom Charles Polonsky (817) 548-5514 cpolanskystar-telegramcom ri Dec 17 leads all active Champ Car drivers in victories (28) poles (22) and laps led (3672) car is prepared by Miami-based Bell Motor-sports The team is scheduled to test at DIS on Jan 7-9 look at it as an opportunity to broaden my racing base broaden my view of things and maybe learn something from the Jim Bell Tracy said is trying to put all the right people in the car Our goal is to come back and try to win it To that end Barber said he might not turn a lap during the race Last rain-plagued conditions prompted Barber to leave the driving to Borcheller Fittipaldi and sports car specialist Andy Pilgrim Barber drove only the last lap was very pleased and proud to be in the Barber said I drive in the race unless the appropriate thing to do there as a team to win the race as a team Whether driving or not be part of John Sturbin (817) 390-7408 sturbstar-telegramcom his focus remains on his open-wheel career with Forsythe Racing this exercise is about is me getting tuned up for the start of the 2005 campaign and to take back the Cup on loan to said Tracy fourth in points in not happy how the season ended My goal was to repeat as champion and we do a good job willing to look within myself to make the improvements we need to make motivated to come back really into Tracy never has driven at DIS The Rolex 24 is contested over a 356-mile course that snakes through the DIS infield and incorporates portions of the 25-mile trioval Those conditions were mimicked during his two-day test at Homestead-Miami Speedway think Forest was worrying I was going to try to show them how fast I was and reengineer the Tracy said just there to learn from them the experienced ones in that type of car and the Tracy who will turn 36 on Sports car racer Forest Barber of Fort Worth adds open-wheel star Paul Tracy to his driver roster for the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona By JOHN STURBIN STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER if Fort Worth businessman racer Forest Barber has added a high-profile driver he insists is to a lineup determined to defend its victory in the prestigious Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona Paul Tracy the 2003 Champ Car World Series champion will make his Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series debut with team during the twice-around-the-clock classic at Daytona International Speedway on Feb 5-6 Barber said Tracy will join Terry Borcheller the 2003 Daytona Prototype champion veteran open-wheelsports car driver Christian Fittipaldi and a fourth professional in the Pontiac-powered Doran JE4 Tracy drove the closed-cockpitfendered car for the first time during a Hoosier tire test last week on Homestead- 4 4 Miami combined road-courseoval and Barber said the Canadian passed the audition very Barber said during a teleconference on Wednesday second lap in our car at Homestead he was running competitive times I was quite amazed And he was low-maintenance I must say He was easy to work with He lay a wheel wrong all day I ask for a better first impression brings his championship experience his pure quickness and from observing him during our test he brings a lot of Tracy whose championship reign was ended this year by Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais of NewmanFIaas Racing said 1 I MOTORSPORTS NOTES Indy 500 champ signs extension woman joins team I champion Johnny Rutherford of Fort Worth has donated the last of his collectible racing memorabilia for an auction to support Camp Fire USA a not-for-profit youth development organization The auction will be held on eBay beginning at 9 am CST Friday and will run through midnight Dec 17 Auction items and bids can be made at wwwebaycomcamp- fireusa Evernham Motorsports has signed Sprint Car standout Erin Crocker 23 to a developmental contract that will allow her to compete in US Auto Club Silver Crown ARCA and NASCAR Busch Series events Bobby East 19 the reign ing USAC National Midget Car Series champion has signed a long-term deal with Ford Racing Technology ing the 2003 season-ending Chevy 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth NASCAR files suit NASCAR has filed a lawsuit against an individual and three companies involved with a pornographic video called Racetrack Girls Go Nutz for trademark and service mark infringement NASCAR filed the suit Monday after learning that Daystrike Marketing Inc was distributing flyers and advertisements for the video with NASCAR logos The flyers also were soliciting investors for Consolidated Sports Media Group Inc based in Addison which is involved in financing the video Briefly Three-tme Indy 500 stand on the said Rahal the 1986 Indy 500 champion going to come down to Patrick said she is ready for the oval-based IRL which will add road and street racing to the mix for the first time in 2005 something been preparing for for my whole life over half of it anyway 13 said Patrick who spent the last two seasons in the developmental Toyota Atlantic Series with Team All three drivers will compete in Honda-powered Panoz Force cars Meanwhile Rahal said former IRL and Indy 500 champion Kenny future has not been resolved Brack is recuperating from life-threatening injuries suffered in a crash dur By JOHN STURBIN SI AR-TF LEGRAM STAFF WRITER Reigning Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Rice has sigtied a multiyear contract extension with Rahal Letter-mah Racing where he likely wilj vie for spotlight time with a rookie teammate in 2005 Team owner Bobby Rahal confirmed Wednesday that Danica Patrick will join Rice and Brazilian Vitor Meira in a three-car Indy Racing League IndyCar Series lineup Patrick 22 follows Sarah Fisher and Lyn St James as the only women to compete in the IRL If Patrick qualifies for the Indy 500 in May she will join Janet Guthrie St James and Fisher as the fourth woman to drive in the Memorial Day classic jCI gt to SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAMBRIAN LAWDERMILK Rola Ogunoye is leading scorer but she hasn't started every game this season because she Is "putting the team first "ipa.